How do you compare different foods?
There are many brands of horse feed on the market, with prices that can range from cheap to what may seem expensive. There are “small” companies that we could consider “local” or “regional”, while others, larger, cover the national territory or even export internationally.
Traditionally, these local or regional companies produce a small number of products to cover their horse offer, while the more “specialized” companies deal with a wider variety of products, to cover the different needs of the horses whether they are physiological for breeding or according to the different energetic needs of the horses according to their activity or even the discipline in which they are trained
There is no such thing as a “one size fits all” feed for horses that work regularly, i.e. that can be used for horses of different ages, foals and horses of different physical activities, because each horse has different nutrient requirements depending on its age and activity, it cannot be used in the same way for a horse that works lightly every day and a horse that is in competition, You cannot use one feed and simply vary the amount of food in your ration because the horse’s stomach has a small capacity and our complementary feed is formulated by type of energy needs so that the ration should not exceed three liters per meal.
The ingredients with which balanced feeds are made and the proportion in which they are incorporated is a good indicator of their quality, quality horse feeds must be made with oats, barley and corn in reasonable proportions to limit the starch content of the feed to a level that is physiologically acceptable to the horse, which does not know how to manage excess starch (ulcers, On the fiber side, the use of alfalfa is no longer in question, but the diversity of fiber sources is an important point in the good balance of the horse’s microbiota.
Another quality factor that is more difficult to perceive for the horse owner and which often represents only one percent of the feed but which is the intelligence of the product is what we provide in terms of vitamins, trace elements and minerals in each of our feeds. These contributions are all appropriate according to the destination of the food and the daily quantity taken by the horse. This is also why we sometimes make several products for the same purpose in order to cover all the physiological needs of your horses, whatever their physiological stage or activity. The form in which these ingredients are provided can give you an idea of the quality of your product, especially chelated trace elements or organic selenium which boosts the bioavailability of these elements and allows you to limit their intake.
Protein content is another important point to consider, and as for the rest, its intake must be reasoned according to the needs of your horse. Another criterion is the quality of the protein sources used and the way in which the formulas are supplemented with limiting amino acids such as lysine for example. Taking into account all these criteria and not the percentage of protein on the label will allow you to judge the quality of the feed.
Therefore, whatever the feed, it is the daily intake (daily ration of your horse) and its quality in protein that should be considered. Products with a high energy potential will have a higher protein content because they are distributed in small quantities to cover the needs of an athletic horse.
Another criterion of quality is the contribution of pre or probiotic via your food, they bring digestive safety by supporting the colonization of beneficial bacteria, and according to the origins they stimulate immunity and can boost the bacteria in charge of the degradation of fibres.
The use of a balanced feed from a brand like Royal Horse offers you the guarantee that behind each bag there is a quality process that follows all the steps of the manufacturing. That we invest in research and development to propose performing products always intended to improve the well-being of your horses. But more than a food the Royal Horse brand has put at your disposal a set of services so that you can find as easily as possible the answer to your questions and use our products with a maximum of efficiency.
Do not hesitate to visit our website www.royal-horse.com to find the product adapted to the needs of your horse and in a few clicks calculate the ration of your horse according to its weight and its energy needs by downloading our free application.
